David Cameron in bid to block federalist as EC president

 
Key candidate: Jean-Claude Juncker hopes to be new European Commission president
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David Cameron slammed the brakes on federalist Jean-Claude Juncker being shoehorned into the European Commission president post as EU leaders opened the door to reforms.

EU veteran Mr Juncker had arrived in Brussels signalling that he wanted swift official backing to succeed José Manuel Barroso as European Commission president this year.

But at the EU leaders’ dinner last night, the Prime Minister made clear that he would not support Mr Juncker’s candidacy. He said he wanted a new president who would champion “openness, competitiveness and flexibility” in the EU rather than being shackled by its past.

Mr Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg, had previously won the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But although she said that Germany was “going into the debate” with him as its candidate, she did not rule out other contenders pipping him to the top post.

After the success of anti-immigration and anti-EU parties in last week’s elections, European leaders asked EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy to hold talks to thrash out a list of alternative candidates.

Mr Van Rompuy will speak to the political groups to be formed in the European Parliament after the polls, which saw millions more voters reject mainstream parties.

On the latest projections, the centre-Right European People’s Party will still be the biggest group and its candidate is Mr Juncker. Although Mr Cameron cannot formally veto Mr Juncker it is unlikely that the European Council, made up of the EU’s 28 national heads of government, would force through a new president without unanimous backing. Sweden, the Netherlands and Hungary also voiced reservations about his candidacy.

The victory of the National Front in France, Ukip in Britain and other anti-EU groups appeared to have jolted European leaders into accepting the need to drive through major reforms of the union.

French president François Hollande said the surge in support for the National Front was “traumatic for France and Europe”. He added: “France cannot live isolated and frightened.”

Echoing Mr Cameron who branded Brussels “too bossy”, Mr Hollande called on the EU to interfere less and focus more on economic growth and jobs. But the French leader opposed treaty changes which the PM is demanding before his promised UK referendum on EU membership in 2017.

Mr Van Rompuy said: “As the union emerges from the financial crisis it needs a positive agenda of growth.” But it remained to be seen if EU leaders can find common ground to turn strong words into meaningful reforms.

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